Field of the Embodiments of the Present Disclosure
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to audio signal processing and, more specifically, to audio enhancement via opportunistic use of microphones.
Description of the Related Art
Audio enhancement is often used to improve the ability of specific individuals to hear particular people speaking or other sound sources in a group setting, such as a group meeting in a conference room. In one example, and without limitation, a hearing impaired participant could listen to the person speaking via hearing aids or similar listening devices placed into one or both ears of the participant. Such hearing aids would typically have a built-in microphone to receive sound present in the region of the outer ear, and an amplifier and speaker for the purpose of amplifying sounds and projecting the amplifies sounds into the inner ear. In another example, and without limitation, a remote participant could listen to the person speaking via a speakerphone or other teleconference device. Such devices receive sound from within the conference room via a microphone, convert the received sound into an electrical signal, and transmit the electrical signal to a remote teleconference device. The remote teleconference device processes the electrical signal and transmits the output to a speaker or other listening device so that the remote participant can hear sounds within the conference room.
One problem with the above approaches is that the microphone for the hearing aid or teleconference device is typically remote from person speaking. That is, the microphone of a hearing aid is typically embedded into the hearing aid itself, which is placed into the ear of the participant. Likewise, the microphone of a teleconference device is typically embedded into the teleconference device, which is oftentimes placed in the center of the conference room, such as on the main conference table within the conference room. In both cases, the location of the microphone is typically a significant distance from the person speaking within the room given that the person speaking is usually located on one side of the room or at one end of the conference room table. Generally, the quality of the audio received at a microphone degrades as the distance between the microphone and the source of interest increases. Another problem with the above approaches is that such devices typically amplify all sounds relatively equally. As a result, a listener may have difficulty hearing a particular source of interest, such as the voice of a particular person speaking, particularly in the presence of other audio sources in the environment, such as noise and sidebar conversations.
One solution to these problems is to place a wired or wireless remote microphone in closer proximity to the lecturer. For example, a wireless microphone associated with a hearing aid could be placed near the person speaking. In another example, a wired or wireless “puck” style microphone associated with a teleconference device could likewise be placed on the conference room table or in some other location close to the person speaking.
One drawback with these solutions is that the location of the person speaking or other sound source is subject to change over time. In one example, the person speaking could walk or otherwise move from a location near the remote microphone to a location that is distant from the remote microphone. In another example, the sound source could change from the person speaking to another person, who interrupts to ask a question or interject a comment, or to a content player that plays back media content, such as an audio or audiovisual segment. In such cases, both the main microphone and the remote microphone could be relatively far away from where a new person is speaking or where a new sound source is located. Another drawback with the above solutions is that a hearing impaired individual has to suffer the embarrassment of presenting and placing a remote microphone in the room, which can identify that person to the broader group as a hearing impaired individual.
As the foregoing illustrates, new techniques for enhancing audio for certain individuals in group settings would be useful.